


We Can Be Alone Together

by konstay0629



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - College/University, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Just a little angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, alternating povs, and this is the result, i just made a salad out of all the fluff i could think of, minsung - Freeform, rated t for cursing, they're whipped for each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22556314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/konstay0629/pseuds/konstay0629
Summary: And there was Minho. Sleeping peacefully on Jisung’s bed, his lips slightly parted, the round glasses askew on his face and his knees folded to his chest. Jisung feels his heart swell. This is the person he wants to be with, no one else.---Minho and Jisung have been best friends since they were kids, and have been constants in each other’s life. Now that they’ll have to share an apartment in college, will everything be the same when they’re alone together?
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 39
Kudos: 484





	We Can Be Alone Together

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Ladies and gentlemen, 14k words of pure fluff because I love cringey, fluffy, domestic, cliché stuff. Imagine [minho](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/60/4f/3f/604f3fd2a958c9405df09544b5afe1a0.jpg) and [jisung](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f8/bd/3b/f8bd3b6f6881b4459485bd34ca6867ce.jpg) in glasses before reading lol
> 
> 2\. I gave up on verb tenses halfway through, so I'm very sorry for inconsistencies. Also not a native English speaker, but I did my best to avoid grammatical errors.
> 
> 3\. Anyway, the title is inspired by [this music](https://open.spotify.com/track/7vJfDxu8HB8vLCiDDK8qLr?si=BDHCJeWwSDyPwpezstS3ZA), which I had on loop the entire time I’m writing this story. I suggest listening to it! 
> 
> 11/05/20 update: I fixed the links above, edited out some parts, replaced misspelled words, and fixed glaring grammatical errors (or at least I tried to). The verbs still suck, but I hope you still enjoy reading! ♡ 

Minho and Jisung were poles apart. Jisung is the cool kid — outgoing, confident, sporty, friendly, chatty, funny and liked by everyone and anyone. Minho is the complete opposite — weird humor, soulless voice, introverted, poker face, cynical, and intimidating.

The only thing similar about them is that they both wear round glasses. And those exact same glasses were the reason why they even crossed paths back in elementary school.

It was gym class and they were running laps around the field when Jisung, not looking where he’s going and instead shouting to a friend on the bleachers, ran straight into Minho. They toppled to the ground, a mess of entangled limbs, while students around them guffawed. Oh shit is that Minho? Jisung heard one of the older boys say, and he had half the mind to snitch the kid to the principal because of his foul mouth.

But alas, he couldn’t do that, because he can’t even see who the person is as his glasses went flying when he hit the ground.

He quickly scrambled to his feet and tapped the space around him to look for his glasses, and felt his right hand encircle a pair of metal spectacles. A second later, his left hand gets a hold of another pair of glasses that looks and feels just like his own.

He puts on the first pair of glasses he found anyway, and squinted over at the other boy still kneeling on the ground and looking for his own. Students were already snickering at him, so he quickly grabbed the boys hand and pressed the glasses into it. “Hey, I think this is yours.”

He watched the other boy put it on before standing up, dusting his pants, and running away, not even sparing Jisung a glance. “Hey! Wait!” Jisung called out and ran after him, but the other was too fast for him to catch up.

It was only after a few minutes that both of them realized there’s something wrong with their vision. Minho felt it first as he ran away from the field, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Where he’s going, he didn’t know. Literally. Because he couldn’t see anything in front of him except from the blur of beige and green colors that he assumes to be the buildings and the trees.

Jisung realized he accidentally switched glasses with Minho when he had to squint just to see the face of the teacher standing in front of him and asking him if he’s alright. He wasn’t alright. His eyes hurt from trying so hard to focus on the teacher’s face and most of all, he feels a hot wave of guilt and worry come over him as he imagined Minho struggling to navigate around school grounds, unable to see clearly, and it was all because of his carelessness.

And so Jisung skipped half of his classes (under the excuse of going to the clinic) to look for the other boy, finding him almost three hours later sprawled in the middle of the field where they first met.

“Hey!” Jisung called out. He jogged towards him and threw himself on the ground next to the boy, panting heavily with exhaustion. “Why are you so hard to find? I’ve been looking for you for hours!”

“Sorry. Here are your glasses.” Minho quietly told him as he handed the pair of glasses that was hanging on his collar. It was basically useless for Minho to wear it so he didn’t bother doing so.

“Thanks. Uhm… here are yours. Uhhh… I just- I just wanna say I’m sorry for running into you like that earlier. Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

“I’m fine.” The other boy answered him with a curt tone. It was obvious that he didn’t really want to talk to Jisung. But Jisung is not Jisung if not persistent, and so he prodded on.

“I’m Jisung by the way! Han. Ji. Sung.” He said, enunciating every syllable with emphasis as, from his position on the ground, he offered one of his hands for Minho to shake.

Minho just looked at it though, tilting his head. His expression wasn’t rude, just curious. As if it’s the first time someone ever thought of shaking hands with him. He continued looking at Jisung’s outstretched hands for a few more seconds before he said, “Okay.”

“Huh?” Jisung gave him an incredulous look, but he grabbed Minho’s hands anyway with both of his to force them to shake hands. The position was awkward and he felt like he was pulling a muscle on his left side, but he didn’t mind. “Are you not gonna tell me your name?” He asked.

“Lee. Min. Ho.” Minho said, emphasizing each syllable just like Jisung did earlier, before giving him a small shy smile.

“Ohhhh that’s a cute name!” Jisung exclaimed happily. “We’re friends now, okay?” He declared, not really giving Minho a chance to back out. “I’m 7 years old, by the way!”

“I’m your hyung then, because I’m about to turn 9 this year.” Minho said a little too proudly than necessary.

“That’s amazing! I’ve always wanted to have a big brother!” Jisung beamed at Minho like Minho was his most favorite person on earth.

To others, they may be two distinctly different personalities, but they soon found out that they’re a lot more similar than they initially thought.

Since then, the two of them have basically been inseparable – they ate lunch together, went home from school together and basically did everything together. Together is what they usually are.

⁕⁕⁕

“Hyung! What university were you accepted into again?” Jisung asks Minho from his study table. The older was sprawled out on his bed, reading a book.

“Seoul Uni. Why?” Minho shoots him a questioning look, adjusting the round glasses perched on his nose.

“Ugh, why did you have to go to a college for smart people? I don’t know if I’ll even be accepted there.” Jisung pouts. “I’ll try, though.”

Minho snorted at that. “We both know you can easily get into that uni if you want to.” He shoots Jisung a confused look. “Why would you want to go there, anyway?”

“Because you’re there. Duh?” the younger says in a matter-of-fact voice, as if the answer should’ve been obvious.

Minho and Jisung are just one year apart at school despite him being older in age by 2 years. It’s because Jisung is a fluke that got accelerated into middle school. So when Minho attends uni this year, Jisung would only have to wait a year before he becomes a college student too.

Minho simply blinks at Jisung before turning back to his book. But the thought of them spending their college years together, just like they did their elementary and high school years, fills him with so much happiness he couldn’t explain.

Minho is grateful for Jisung in more ways than one. Jisung, being the optimistic person that he is, always sees the good things in people first. And maybe that’s why he’s the only one who ever paid attention to Minho and tried to understand him. The only kid who gave him a chance. His sunny personality eventually rubbed off on Minho, to the point that even his parents have constantly mentioned the changes to him during their first year of friendship. Now, many years later, both of them still wear similar round glasses and Jisung still constantly brings out the best in him, still pushes him to be the best version of himself.

“Hyung! I have an idea!”

Minho squints at Jisung suspiciously. Jisung is an intelligent person, so much so that he doesn’t even bother studying sometimes, “I’m sick of stressing out over grades; I just need to make sure I don’t fail.” He would tell Minho. The ideas he gets with this carefree personality is usually what lands them into trouble. “Please tell me it’s actually a sane idea this time.” He said, already sounding resigned to his fate.

“What if… What if we live together?” Jisung says, sounding hesitant at first but then finishing the question with a bright smile like it was the best idea he’s ever thought of in his entire existence.

Minho, on the other hand, chokes on air. Whatever he thought Jisung’s idea was, it definitely was not this. “No!” He answers quickly and perhaps a bit too intensely than he meant to.

“Why not?” Jisung frowns at Minho, hurt and disappointment flitting through his expression.

Minho didn’t really have a good answer to that because he didn’t know why he was against the idea either. What he does know is that the thought of living with Jisung suddenly made his heart beat loudly in chest and he couldn’t breathe properly. Sure, attending the same uni sounds nice – that’s what they’ve been doing for the past decade after all. But living together? Minho’s not sure about that.

“How’s that even different from what we’re doing now? You’re always here at my place. I’m always hanging out at your house. We basically live together!” Jisung asks him again, this time visibly annoyed at being turned down.

He really had a point, but Minho chose to keep quiet and pretended to focus on his book. Would everything be really the same if it were just the two of us? If we’re alone together?

⁕⁕⁕

They end up living together anyway, much to Minho’s frustration.

Because really, he didn’t have it in him to deny Jisung what he wanted. And when both of their parents found out that they’re going to attend the same uni, they fully supported Jisung’s idea of sharing the studio unit Minho is currently renting. “It’s cheaper that way and would keep our minds at ease knowing that you’ll look out for each other.” Their parents had said.

Minho didn’t even want to think about what they’ll say if they knew that the thought of just the two of them is enough to make him break into cold sweats and have trouble breathing, his heart threatening to leap straight out of his chest. He didn’t want to think about the reason why kept feeling like that either.

Jisung moved into the unit the day right after his graduation, because he’s an impatient person like that and he couldn’t wait to “start his next chapter in life.”

What used to be Minho’s spacious and fairly clean apartment is now cramped and cluttered. Jisung really isn’t an organized person and Minho could only laugh hysterically as he watches the younger try to squeeze in all the things he had into the little space that would be their home for the next four years or so.

Their unit isn’t really that small, it’s just that both of them have too much stuff.

It’s a loft-type apartment, and the kitchen and 2-seater dining area is the first thing you’ll step into when you come in. Walk a few steps more and you’ll get to their living room, with a small flat-screen TV and a little couch. Then there’s a short flight of stairs that leads to the loft, where there’s barely enough space for two single beds. Minho even had to relocate his bedside table next to the TV. There’s barely a meter of distance between their beds that Jisung even suggested they just push them together instead to make a bigger one. Of course, Minho fought against that idea with all his might even though they’ve slept in each other’s bed countless times throughout the years they’ve known each other.

Two weeks after Jisung moved in and they already found an everyday routine. They wake up as early as they can, mostly because Minho loves going on walks in the morning. Minho cooks all their meals, but according to Jisung, that’s only because between the two of them, he’s far less likely to burn their place down.

Jisung seems to have found an innate talent for cooking rice perfectly, so he at least helps with that. They wash dishes together, with Jisung drying them and putting them on the rack. Their free times are spent playing games or watching movies or TV series. Every Saturday they do laundry, and on Sundays they go grocery shopping.

They sleep pretty late at night and Minho doesn’t even know why. It’s not like they’re busy and have too much to do, but every day just seems to pass by quickly. One moment the clock is striking 12 noon, and then the next it’s already 11 PM. Days just seem to pass by a lot quicker, and Minho starts to think that maybe living with Jisung isn’t a bad idea after all, even though he can literally feel himself falling deeper and deeper into whatever blackhole it is that eventually leads to weird feelings for his best friend. Before they knew it, the first day of classes was upon them and they only have the weekends left to make the most of their vacation.

⁕

It’s a Saturday morning, the last Saturday that they’ll spend just lounging around in the house. Minho’s first to wake up, slowly peeking his eyes open to greet another day. The first thing he sees is Jisung’s peaceful sleeping face. They’re lying face to face at the edges of their bed, as if they were opposite poles of two magnets unconsciously gravitating toward each other. If he reaches his hand out, he’ll be able to touch the strands of Jisung’s hair that are now covering half of his cheeks.

The two of them have always been physically affectionate towards each other. They don’t skimp on hugs and cuddles. Even now, Jisung would sometimes sneak into his bed and sleep there with him, crowding him to one corner. But lately, cuddling with Jisung suddenly became a thousand times harder, because it hits him with a strong longing for the younger boy. Of course, he still does it because he likes to torture himself like that. Plus, he didn’t want anything between them to suddenly change just because he’s having an emotional crisis.

Their cuddles also became a lot… warmer? Intimate? Minho didn’t know how to explain it. Before, the two of them would just lie on top of each other, putting all their weight onto the other just to tease and make the other suffer, sometimes getting into tickle fights and whatever silly games they come up with.

But now, they just… hug. Like a real hug – a warm, sincere one. And Minho didn’t know what to make of it. He can’t explain what exactly is changing, but there is something changing between them.

He sighed and tried to shake the thoughts off. He really didn’t want to figure out these feelings now. He’s scared of making things complicated.

He got up quietly and stood at the edge of the stairs to look around their home. Their home – what a phrase. It looks as lived-in as it can get. Jisung’s cardigan slung over the sofa whose cheap foam now has a shallow dent in the middle from where they usually sit. There’s a sign with their names right beside the study area where their books and laptops are.

Almost everything in the room now had two sets of everything – two sets of slippers, eating utensils, placemats on the table. It’s a far cry from the dull and boring unit it used to be when Jisung wasn’t around yet. The sight brings a barrage of emotions Minho couldn’t quite understand. It brings a lump in his throat, a knot in the center of his chest and a bunch of butterflies fluttering in his stomach. And if he stews in his emotions a few minutes longer, he’d probably start crying for no apparent reason.

Minho huffed to himself and rubbed his face vigorously with his hands to shake off the thoughts before climbing down to cook their breakfast. He’s determined to make every single minute of their last vacation days count.

⁕ ⁕ ⁕

Jisung slowly came into consciousness to the soft feel of the duvet surrounding him, the fluffy pillow under his cheeks, and the smell of bacon and eggs. What a perfect morning.

He took his time stretching, hoping that doing so would add a few more centimeters to his height, before getting up and peeking over the banister of the loft to look at what Minho was doing below.

“Hyung! Did you cook rice already?” That was his only task in the kitchen and he loves doing it because it makes him feel useful.

“I made kimchi fried rice from our leftover last night.” Minho calls out to him from the kitchen. “Get your ass down here. I’m hungry.”

Jisung skipped down the stairs and bounded up to Minho, who was transferring the bacon from the skillet and into a plate.

“Gooood morning, my favorite hyung!” Jisung says as he gave Minho a back hug.

“Good morning, Jisungie.” Minho mumbles, throwing his head backwards to bump it on Jisung’s shoulder. “I’m your favorite hyung? How many do you have anyway?”

“You’re my only one.”

It was a simple answer; it even sounded cheesy. Minho really didn’t have to feel flustered because of it. And yet there he was feeling a blush creep up his cheeks. This is getting ridiculous, he thought to himself.

“Let go. I need to put this on the table.”

“Don’t want to.” Jisung mutters in the most childish way possible as he hugs Minho tighter and rubs his cheeks on the older’s back.

“Let go, Jisungie.” Minho groans. But of course, Jisung didn’t listen to him. So, the two of them wobbled towards the table, with Jisung still hanging on his hip like a koala. “Come on, let’s eat, we have a long day ahead of us.”

At this, Jisung finally detaches himself from his chokehold on Minho’s torso. “We do? Did we make plans I’m forgetting right now?” Jisung asks as he helps himself to the steaming breakfast in front of him.

“We didn’t. But I did.”

“It’s too early for your cryptic responses, hyung.” Jisung mumbles incoherently, both of his cheeks stuffed with rice, bacon, and egg.

“I wanna do something fun with my last vacation days. Maybe go see a movie, go to a theme park or something.”

“You’re going to leave me here alone?” Jisung scowls at him.

“How could you even think that I’m going by myself?” Minho gave him an incredulous look. “Wow, Sungie… And here I thought you thought of us as a unit. You were the one who said we’re a unit back in high school! I’m hurt. I’m truly hurt.”

“Sorry hyung! You were referring specifically to yourself, so could you blame me if I thought you’re going alone?” Jisung had the nerve to laugh at him. “You do know the words ‘us’ and ‘we’ exist, right? I love ‘us’ and ‘we’!”

“You know what? I think I might just go alone after all.”

Jisung guffaws at him and reaches over the table to pat his head like a baby. “Don’t sulk, babe.” Jisung struggles to hold in his silly giggle when Minho raises his brow at the endearment.

“How about we go to a theme park today and go see a movie tomorrow?” Minho suggests. He’s surprised his voice didn’t tremble because Jisung’s endearment shook him to the core.

“Deal! Oh my god I’m so excited! The last time we went to a theme park is back in sixth grade and you didn’t want to ride the roller coaster with me because you were scared!”

“Hah! You’re one to talk, when you almost peed your pants when we were in the haunted house.”

Jisung frowns at the thought. It was probably one of the most embarrassing moments in his life. The only time he lost all confidence and hung onto Minho for dear life as zombies and ghosts chased them around. He stuck his tongue out at Minho.

Minho smiles fondly at Jisung. He counts it as an achievement every time he manages to render the younger speechless, even though he felt a bit guilty for teasing. Finishing the rest of the food on his plate, Minho got up and walked over to Jisung, giving his forehead a peck as he repeated his words earlier. “Don’t sulk, babe.”

Jisung wolfs down his food as he tries to get his heartbeat under control. Perhaps it was just because of the excitement as he looks forward to all the fun they’d have today…

⁕⁕⁕

Three hours later, Minho’s close to losing his patience as he asks for probably the tenth time over the past hour if Jisung is ready to go yet.

“Look, hyung. You gotta understand. I don’t look godly like you. It’s hard to make myself look beautiful!” Jisung yells at him from the loft.

You’re always beautiful, though, Minho thought, but he ends up saying, “What do you have to be beautiful for? We’re just going to a theme park!”

“I’m almost finished!” Jisung yells back. Right… we’re just a pair of bros, going to a theme park. No big deal. He didn’t understand why he felt like he needed to look good either. Today just felt special for him, kind of like a date, but Minho didn’t have to know that, nope.

After a few minutes, he finally looked okay to himself and went down to a grumpy Minho, who looks effortlessly good in his white oversized shirt, like always. It’s funny how the older doesn’t even know how ridiculously good-looking he is, despite Jisung constantly telling him so.

It’s funny that he thinks his glasses make him look weird, because they only make him more handsome. Jisung himself is wearing a denim jacket over a pinstripe long-sleeve shirt. And if anyone’s gonna be insecure about their glasses, it should be him with his squirrel-like cheeks.

“C’mon hyung! Let’s go!” Jisung said excitedly as he ran towards the door, completely missing the awed look Minho had on his face upon seeing him.

⁕

The theme park is just a 30-minute bus ride away from their place. It was packed with people because it’s a Saturday, so it was a bit hard to go around. They didn’t let that keep them from having fun, though. They tried out every ride, their throats sore from all the screaming and laughing they were doing. Some of the rides were a lot more challenging than Minho remembered, especially with his fear of heights kicking in. But Jisung seems to sense his fear every time and offers him a comforting hand. A favor that he also returned when they went to the Haunted House, which turned out to be a horrible ordeal for the both of them. Jisung because he hates jump-scares, and Minho because he hates the way his heart basically leapt out his chest every time Jisung clings to him.

By 6PM, their stomachs are rumbling with hunger. Instead of eating at one of the restaurants around the park, they sneaked hot dogs and Jamaican patties into the Ferris wheel, where they ate while staring at the sun setting in the distance. Minho thought it was a great way to cap off their day. Just the two of them, eating peacefully, finally getting a few moments of quiet after their hectic day.

Minho glances at Jisung whose cheeks were puffed up as he chewed on his food, the sunset highlighting his features in an orange glow and giving his hair a bronze tint.

Jisung is beautiful. And Minho’s heart is aching with longing, the kind of longing that he shouldn’t feel for his best friend. All he wanted to do at that moment is reach out, trace the outline of Jisung’s cheeks, nose, and lips, run his fingers through his soft hair, pull him into his arms and kiss him senseless.

“You’re beautiful.” He blurts out before he could stop himself.

Jisung looks at him with wide eyes as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard, and with so much sincerity at that. He could see the younger’s ears slowly turning red. Mentally slapping himself for his momentary loss of self-control, Minho adds with a smirk, “but of course, I’m still prettier than you.”

Jisung laughs, although it sounded a little awkward. Minho sounded so sincere just a minute ago and now he’s trying to joke? It left Jisung reeling with emotions, but he tried his best to act normal.

“I can’t believe you’re actually saying that. Where did that confidence come from?”

From trying not to reveal my weird feelings for you. Minho thought to himself. Instead, he just shrugs, not trusting himself with words this time.

“It’s good, though, that you’re finally realizing how amazing you look. Because you do look amazing, hyung.”

“Uhm… thanks, I guess?”

“So many people were gawking at you earlier. It was annoying.”

“Are you jealous?” Minho teases, chuckling as he takes the last bite of his food.

Before Jisung could answer, the Ferris wheel was coming to a stop and it was almost their turn to get off. He’s thankful that he had to gulp down his food to avoid being reprimanded by the staff for eating inside the ride, because it gave him an excuse to not answer Minho. To not reveal that yes, he is indeed jealous, even though he knows fully well that he doesn’t have the right to be.

⁕⁕⁕

The day after that, they woke up early to do groceries.

Even though they’ve already prowled the 24 aisles of this particular supermarket countless times before, they still go through every single aisle today anyway, checking out every product on the shelf, looking for new interesting items that they might give a try.

The highlight of these weekly supermarket runs is the part where they get to stuff their faces with food at the free-taste section, although Jisung would argue that seeing Minho’s eyes light up every time he finds a new, interesting food comes at a close second.

Minho, on the other hand, would argue that Jisung’s pout every time he begs to buy something unhealthy is the close second. Either way, they both enjoy doing this every weekend, which is why their supermarket trips always last ten times longer than it should.

When they finally got and paid for everything that they actually need, it’s already past lunchtime and their feet hurt because of all the walking they’ve done.

The blazing noontime sun casts a golden sheen to Jisung’s slightly tanned skin and makes his hair strands glint every now and then. Minho can’t help but stare at the display of rich colors, like a cat attracted to shiny things, as they walk towards their apartment. The sound of gravel crunching under their feet and the noises from kids playing at a nearby playground are drowned out by the thoughts in Minho’s head. He really wants to make the most out of this day – their last vacation day. Starting tomorrow, they’ll be swamped with schoolwork and would probably have less time for each other.

“Jisungie,“ Minho calls out to the younger, who’s walking a few steps ahead of him. “Do you wanna watch a movie after we drop these off at home?” He says, gesturing to the bags of groceries they’re carrying.

“Do you mean Netflix, or like movies movies?”

“I mean movies movies. There’s this new horror movie I want to watch.”

Jisung pretended to think for about two seconds before answering Minho with a wide smile on his face. “Sure! I won’t pass up the chance to get free popcorn.”

⁕

The thing about watching movies with Jisung is that he’s really distracting, and Minho almost always focuses on what he’s saying instead of actually watching the movie.

When he’s not busy dissing the acting skills of the characters, Jisung’s trying to guess the plot of the entire film, and most of the time he gets it right. Minho finds it entertaining – the people around them obviously don’t.

They were even kicked out of the movie house that one time Jisung cracked a joke while they were watching “A Quiet Place” and Minho couldn’t stop cackling. Which is a shame since this particular cinema is a Director’s Club, meaning it’s pricey because it’s more private, the reclining couches are separated by twos, plus they offer fleece blankets and unlimited soda and popcorn of different flavors.

“I don’t think that lady is going to last long. She’s kind of dumb. Like, who the fuck puts their hand into a mysterious hole, in the middle of a tree, in the middle of freaking nowhere. That’s just stupid.” Jisung ended his tirade with a loud huff, prompting the people around them to make shushing sounds.

“Shut up, Jisung. We’re gonna get kicked out again at this rate.” Minho says, not bothering to lower his voice one bit, earning them another round of shushes from the other people watching the movie.

Jisung snickered but stopped talking nonetheless. A few minutes of silence passed and Minho thought that the younger had finally decided to focus on watching the film. He’s about to tease him for it when Jisung folded the armrest separating their seats and scooted under the fleece blanket that Minho has been using.

“What are you doing?” Minho asks in a shaky voice, his tone octaves lower. It’s not the first time Jisung got this close to him, but for some reason, this time makes him nervous, which is absolutely ridiculous.

“It’s too cold. I get the urge to pee when I’m cold, and I don’t want to get up to pee.” Jisung whispers back.

“We can ask for another blanket.” Minho says, about to push the button on the seat to call one of the cinema attendants.

Jisung reaches out a hand to stop him. “Don’t bother. We can share this one.” As if to prove his point, Jisung loops their arms together and settles his head on the crook of Minho’s neck, completely oblivious to the internal turmoil that the older is battling against.

Minho tried to focus on the movie. He really did. But he gave up halfway through when all he could think of is the smell of Jisung’s hair (strawberries and vanilla, just like his, because they share the same shampoo) and the warmth of Jisung’s body pressed against his side.

He spent the remaining one and a half hours of the movie trying not to bury his nose in Jisung’s hair, kiss the top of his head, pull the younger into a tight hug and confess all his feelings.

When the credits rolled in, he felt absolutely tired and miserable. He’s never been this exhausted after watching a movie before, and all he could do is stare at the screen dejectedly and think about how stupid he is for developing feelings for his only best friend and how his stupid feelings are complicating everything that used to be normal for the both of them. He pulls up his phone with his free hand and types “how to unfeel your feelings” in the search bar.

“Hyung? What’s that you’re typing?” Jisung asks, trying to peek at his phone from his position on Minho’s shoulder.

“Ugh. Can’t you give me a bit of privacy?”

“That doesn’t exist between us. You know that.” Jisung jokes but thankfully stopped trying to peek at his phone.

Later that night, Minho types in the exact keywords again into the search bar, he’s lying in his bed in the dark, with Jisung snoring just an arm’s reach away on the other bed.

He discovers that Google isn’t always useful, because one of the first results it gives him is telling him to just let himself feel his emotions. Absolutely useless and counterproductive, considering that his goal is to get rid of his complicated feelings for the person beside him, mumbling in sleep and drooling right on the pillow. Minho gives up his search and closes his eyes, waiting for sleep while wishing that the first day of classes tomorrow could divert his thoughts away from the feelings that he doesn’t even want to face.

⁕⁕⁕

“Shit, shit, shit! I’m late!” Jisung shrieks as he frantically searches his closet for a pair of socks. The last thing he needs is to tarnish his attendance on the very first day of classes, so he set five alarms 2 hours early for his 8 AM class. How both he and Minho managed to sleep through those five alarms, only waking up a quarter before 8, is beyond him.

Minho is downstairs arranging his backpack for him, making sure he has all the necessary supplies and packing his lunch. “You only have exactly 8 minutes to get to class, Sungie.” Minho reminds him, making him even more panicked.

“Jeez, thanks hyung. That’s really reassuring.” Jisung says as he comes running down the short flight of stairs from the loft, grabbing his bag from Minho and running straight to the door to put on his shoes. As he was about to step out, Minho came running to him.

“Jisung, wait! You forgot something!”

Maybe it’s because of his flustered thoughts from panicking so early in the morning, or perhaps it was all the daydreaming he did over the weekends, but for some unknown reason, Jisung thought Minho was referring to a goodbye kiss when he told him that he forgot something.

And so, being the stupid and flustered gay that he is, Jisung stood on his tippy toes and reached for the back of Minho’s neck, tugging his head gently towards him. Minho’s eyes widened comically at the almost nonexistent (and quickly disappearing) distance between them, but Jisung didn’t see this as he’s already leaning in to give Minho’s nose a quick little kiss.

“O-oh. That was nice.” Minho stammers, “I, uhm, I was actually referring to this, but thank you for that too, I guess.” The tips of Minho’s ears are bright red as he dangles the house keys in front of Jisung’s eyes.

It takes a few seconds for Jisung to understand what Minho just said and to realize what he just did. But when he does, he willed the ground beneath him to crack open and swallow him whole ASAP. Unfortunately, the floor remained intact. It’s a good thing that he can use being late as an excuse to escape the embarrassment. And so without another word, he grabs the keys from Minho’s hand and goes sprinting all the way to school.

⁕

Jisung barely made it in time. He entered the back door of the room at the same time the professor was entering from the front, and took a seat right on the first available one on the last row.

To his left sat a boy with striking red hair and spattering of freckles all over his cheeks. Jisung is a naturally affable person, and so he does what every affable person does: He greets the other boy excitedly, and to his surprise, the person greets him with the same enthusiasm too.

He later learns that the freckle boy’s name is Yongbok, who introduced himself as Felix in class (“I prefer my English name,” Felix had told him with a bright smile.), shocking everyone with his booming voice. He apparently shares his classes with Jisung every other day, which is how they came to the mutual agreement to eat lunch together, along with their two other classmates, Hyunjin and Seungmin.

The four of them just clicked, so it didn’t take long for Jisung to feel at ease with them, falling into easy banter or comfortable silence as if they’ve been friends for as long as Minho and Jisung have. Speaking of Minho, it surprises Jisung that they’ve never seen each other at the campus ever since the classes started. Granted the campus is indeed a bit huge, their courses are completely different, and their buildings are located on opposite sides of the campus, but Jisung thought that they would at least pass by each other in the common areas at some point by now, especially since their break times are actually the same.

It’s after a week of not meeting inside the school that Jisung realizes, with no small amount of wonder, that even though he and Minho are like a single unit - a staple in each other’s lives - they’re still their own persons.

There are things that he didn’t know about Minho, and there are things Minho doesn’t know about him, not because they’ve been keeping secrets from each other but just because they simply never found it important to talk about those little things, and that’s absolutely okay.

While he feels a bit sad that he’s not as privy to every single detail of the older man’s life as he originally thought he is, it still makes him feel relieved that there are things that makes Minho Minho, and there are things that make Jisung Jisung, and it’s not necessary for them share these things with each other just to continue being best friends.

Many people would think that Jisung is well aware of this, especially since he’s the more outgoing one between the two of them and he has more acquaintances. But the truth is, even though he’s friendly, it’s not easy for him to really open up to other people. Minho knows him – the flaws in his personalities, all his insecurities and even how swollen his face can get in mornings – he doesn’t have to hide anything from his best friend (except maybe his growing feelings that is far from friendly), which is why he also tends to be clingy with him instead of trying to accept other people in his life.

Being apart, even for that short amount of time, may actually did their friendship and individuality a favor. Of course, Jisung still misses the older. He often finds himself wondering about what Minho’s doing at that moment, where he is, or if he’s eaten lunch, but he’s long accepted that this is just part of the both of them growing up, and that doesn’t mean they’re growing apart.

⁕⁕⁕

The chance to meet inside the campus came two weeks after the start of classes, when Jisung, in his haste to get to class on time, forgot the lunch that Minho prepared for him. What’s funny is that Jisung didn’t forget his daily goodbye kiss as he hurried out the door.

Ever since Jisung accidentally thought that he was asking for a goodbye kiss that first day of classes, he’s been doing it every day without fail, and it turned into something like a running joke between the two of them. A running joke that never fails to make Minho’s breath stutter along with his heart every single day. It’s more of like a torture for Minho, really.

Minho sighs as he looks at Jisung’s forgotten lunch box on the table, next to his. He looks at his watch and sees that he only has 15 minutes to get to his class. He doesn’t have time to drop by Jisung’s building to give him his food, so he decided to just meet up with him during lunchtime. He texts the younger as he walks out of the apartment. He receives Jisung's reply just a few seconds later, agreeing to meet at lunch and asking him if it’s okay to bring his friends so that they could be introduced.

Minho hesitates at first, not really keen on meeting new people. He only has one “friend” from his department, if he could even call Changbin that. All they do is bicker and tease each other. He heaves a sigh and texts Jisung that it’s okay, deciding that it’s high time that they meet at school anyway. He’s curious about Jisung’s newfound friends too, since he often sounds so fond whenever he talks about them.

Lunchbreak rolled around and Minho found himself walking alongside Changbin, who he dragged against the man’s will, towards the cafeteria in the middle of the campus. It’s halfway between both of their buildings, so he and Jisung thought it would be fair to just meet there.

“Do I really need to be here?” Changbin grumbled under his breath.

“Of course!” Minho answers, rolling his eyes at the shorter man. He needs Changbin beside him so he has someone to talk to just in case Jisung’s new friends ignore him, not that Jisung would ever make him feel out of place, but it’s better to be prepared.

“Why can’t he just buy food from the cafeteria like a normal student?” Changbin whines again.

“One, because my food tastes better. Two, because Jisung suffered food poisoning after eating food from the cafeteria back in middle grade, and since then he’d only eaten home-cooked meals at school.” Minho calmly explains, shutting Changbin up but not without getting a glare first.

“Fine. At least I’ll finally meet this infamous Jisung that you never shut up about.”

“What do you mean? I don’t talk about him that much!”

Changbin just gives him an incredulous look, muttering “you’re pathetic” under his breath. Minho chose to keep quiet because he can’t say that he isn’t.

When they get to the cafeteria, Jisung and his friends are already waiting by the door. Jisung spots Minho first, waving his hands high up in the air to greet them.

“Minho-hyung! Hyung!” He screams his lungs out to get the other boy’s attention, earning curious and amused glances from the other students around them.

“Hey, man, keep it down. He saw you already.” Seungmin whispers to him through gritted teeth while Felix and Hyunjin simply laughs at his distress.

Jisung ignores them, eyeing the grumpy-looking man beside Minho who he’s never met before. He didn’t know Minho is bringing a friend as well, but he’s happy to meet any of Minho’s friends anyway so it’s no big deal.

The pair is walking too slowly for Jisung’s liking, so he decides to skip the remaining distance between them, leaving his friends behind. He latches onto Minho’s arm as soon as he can reach the older boy, giving him his brightest gummy smile, which Minho knows is reserved for times when Jisung is really feeling happy.

“Hyung! I thought I’d never see you in here!” Jisung whines as he half-pulls Minho towards his friends.

Minho scoffs and ruffles his hair. “Don’t you dare forget your lunch again. I don’t want to walk halfway through campus again just to give it to you.” He’s lying, of course. Minho would run ten laps around the campus if Jisung tells him to. Apparently, Changbin knows that as well, because he hears the man muttering “liar, you’re obviously whipped” to himself.

“Hmm? Did you say something?” Jisung asks Changbin politely. “Oh! Sorry I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Jisung!” Jisung says cheerily as he extends his free hand.

Changbin takes it in a firm grip. “My name’s Changbin.”

“It’s so nice to meet you! I’m happy Minho-hyung is making friends.”

“Are we friends?” Changbin asks Minho the same time the latter says, “We’re not actually friends.”

Changbin rolls his eyes while Jisung simply laughs as they reach the door to the cafeteria. He points to his friends, introducing each one to Minho and Changbin. Seungmin is apparently a puppy, while Hyunjin is a llama and Felix is a cat.

“Wow geez, thank you for the very detailed introduction, Jisung.” The boy with light brown hair says as he waves at Minho and Changbin. Minho does his best to smile and wave back, but he couldn’t focus because he’s busy eyeing the tall boy (Is his name Hyunjin?) who just literally cooed at Jisung and called him cute over the way he introduced them.

Minho feels his mood sour significantly, but pushes down the weird feeling crawling up chest and making his heart clench. Instead, he smiled at Jisung’s friends and gestured to Changbin. “It’s nice to meet you all. Jisung talks so much about you guys. This is Changbinnie, my friend.”

“I thought I wasn’t your friend?”

“Well, you are now.” Minho says petulantly with a roll of his eyes.

“When hyung is rude to you, it means he likes you.” Jisung explains to no one in particular, to which the other four nodded in understanding.

“Excuse me? I’m standing right here?” Minho says indignantly.

“Whatever, hyung. Let’s find a seat, I’m hungry.”

Minho moves to put his arms around Jisung, as he normally does whenever they walk together, but before he can even take a step closer to him, Hyunjin’s already there, doing exactly what Minho was about to do.

Minho didn’t notice that he was just standing there and staring blankly at Hyunjin’s back, until Changbin elbowed him (rougher than necessary, in Minho’s opinion) and gave him a pointed look. “What are you doing? Why are you glaring at them?”

“I’m not.” Minho tries to say nonchalantly as he gets his feet moving again.

Changbin snorts at that. “You are, hyung. You’re so obvious.”

Minho rolls his eyes at his friend but keeps silent. He knows he has no right to feel this way when Jisung is just his best friend.

Lost in his thoughts, Minho silently takes a seat at the table they chose in the far end of the cafeteria and starts preparing his and Jisung’s lunch while the others go to the counter to buy theirs. Jisung takes a seat next to him, resting his head on his hands as he waits for the older to finish what he’s doing.

“Hyung, sorry I forgot my lunch. I didn’t mean to bother you.” Jisung says, feeling a bit guilty that the older had to go all the way to this cafeteria because of his carelessness. “I promise I won’t forget it again.”

“It’s no big deal. You know I chose to be here.” Minho gives him a reassuring smile, putting his arms around Jisung’s shoulder to ruffle his hair and give him a peck on the crown of his head.

It was nothing more than a platonic gesture. In fact, Minho’s done it a hundred times before. The only difference is that Minho used to do it when it’s just the two of them.

But now, he just did it right there, in the middle of the cafeteria, for all the others to see. His friends are even looking at them curiously as they walk towards their table. Jisung is not the least bit embarrassed. In fact, he’s stupidly happy. He can’t help but feel warm and fuzzy because of it, and he can feel the heat creeping up his cheeks.

But he knows it’s ridiculous to think about it too much. He tries to get his pounding heart under control, cursing himself for making so much fuss about the simple friendly gesture.

“Are you okay?” Felix asks him.

No, he is in fact not okay, but he can’t just go and announce that he’s in a state of gay panic right now, so he just nods at Felix and starts eating his lunch once everyone is seated. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Jisung to recover his confidence. Hyunjin’s loud laughter, Felix’s funny antics and Seungmin’s eternally fed up expression takes his mind off his thoughts.

It was nice to see Minho open up a little to his friends. He and Seungmin seem to be having some sort of competition on who is more savage, either throwing each other sarcastic remarks or ganging up on poor Changbin, who Jisung thinks is a very nice person too.

Minho seems to warm up instantly to Felix, which isn’t surprising – Felix just tends to have that effect on people. What Jisung doesn’t understand, though, is why Minho doesn’t seem to be interested in talking to Hyunjin.

Jisung was interrupted from his rambling thoughts when Minho nudged him with his elbows and looked at him with disgust. He widens his eyes at the older to wordlessly ask him what the problem is. With a roll of his eyes, Minho wipes the bit of red sauce on the corner of Jisung’s lips using his thumb.

“Ugh. You eat like a disgusting 5-year-old.” Minho says as he absentmindedly brings his thumb to his mouth, licking the sauce off it clean.

Jisung retaliates by jabbing a finger into Minho’s side, where he knew the older is ticklish, completely missing Changbin’s raised brows or the questioning look Felix is throwing Seungmin and Hyunjin, silently asking if they also saw what Minho did and if it means what they thought it means.

Despite Jisung’s promise, he still forgets his lunch from time to time, and on days like that, his friend group would eat together with Minho and Changbin somewhere around the campus. This recurs often enough that they have somehow become closer to each other, although Minho still seems a bit awkward with Hyunjin for some reason Jisung couldn’t fathom.

The weeks passed by in a blur, with homework, projects, and exams filling their days. Jisung felt like a robot, programmed to just eat, sleep and study every single day, and by the time their final exams for the semester have come, he’s ready to spontaneously combust from the stress.

“It’s because you weren’t a diligent student back in high school. This is your first time actually trying to study.” Minho had told him with a snicker and a shake of his head one time Jisung vented out his frustrations. When Jisung just pouted in response, Minho reassured him that his grades are great anyway, so at least the effort is paying off.

Regardless if he’s doing great or not, Jisung just wants to relax. So he invites Hyunjin, Seungmin, Felix and Changbin to have a sleepover at their apartment on the second to the last day of the semester. It’s the day when all their exams would be done and they’d only have to come back the next day to submit some requirements. It’s the perfect day to celebrate before some of his friends head over to their homes for the semestral break.

“Finally! We’re free!” Jisung shouts in front of their building with his arms stretched out to the sky. Beside him, his three friends only chuckle while stretching out their joints, muscles sore from hours of sitting inside the classroom and answering exams. “Come on! Let’s buy booze from the supermarket before heading to our apartment!”

⁕

“When I said I wanted to celebrate, I was thinking of beer, soju, and chicken.” Jisung says in disgust as he eyes the cans of soda and fizzy yogurt drinks arranged inside their fridge.

“Hey, at least we have chicken!” Minho retorts, pointing to the two boxes of chicken laid out in their dining table next to the pizza, packs of ramen and bags of chips.

Jisung scowled at him. Apparently, Minho made a promise to Jisung’s mom to keep him sober, and he’s not about to break that promise right in their home, going as far as returning the alcohol that Jisung bought to the supermarket and exchanging them for non-alcoholic drinks.

“I’m going to buy beer and you can’t stop me.” Jisung says in a fit of childish pettiness, complete with foot stomping and pouting, which Minho secretly thinks is adorable, but he can’t let that weaken his resolve.

“Do that and I will call your mother, Jisung, I swear to god”

“Come on, hyung! You’re so boring! This is a one-time thing! Don’t be such a mood-killer.” Jisung says, a little too rudely than he intended.

The comment hurt more than Minho would like to admit, especially since it’s said in front of their friends, and he couldn’t help but raise a brow at Jisung to silently ask him what the fuck his problem is. But he doesn’t want to be called butthurt on top of being boring and a mood-killer, so he just sighed exasperatedly and was about to drill some sense into Jisung’s head when Hyunjin suddenly cut into their argument.

“Hey, Ji. It’s okay! Let’s just have a movie marathon tonight. I’m not really in the mood to get drunk either.” Hyunjin turned to the other guys to ask them if they’re alright with that idea. Their friends all agreed and soon they’re all in front of the TV, watching a random action comedy that Felix chose on Netflix, with the food cramped on the coffee table in front of them.

Minho didn’t really pay attention to the film. In fact, he’s in no mood to be with other people at all. He just wants to tune out the occasional chatter of their friends, curl up in his bed and sleep away his annoyance. But he knows doing that will definitely kill the mood for real, so he tries his best to mingle even though he’s deep in his thoughts. He keeps replaying the argument with Jisung earlier in his head, thinking about how the latter easily brightened up and acquiesced to Hyunjin’s idea.

Minho hates it - this side of him that feels jealous and resentful. This side of him just wants to withdraw from the Jisung, from their friend group, from the world, just like he did when he was a kid, before he and Jisung became friends. He hates that he’s feeling this way because he somehow fell in love with his best friend. He hates it because it threatens to crack the strong foundation of the friendship they built over the years. He hates these feelings and all the complicated mess they bring forth.

When the credits roll, Minho almost lets out a relieved sigh. Deciding that he’s probably put on enough show to convince the others that he’s exhausted instead of annoyed, he stands up and excuses himself from the group, saying something about being tired and needing sleep, which isn’t entirely a lie. He is tired of being with so many people, and he needs to be alone and sleep before he starts scowling and snapping at their friends.

The guys put on a new film, this time a suspense thriller. Jisung tries his best to pay attention, but he’s distracted by Minho, so he tries to subtly watch him from the corner of his eye as he goes about his nightly routine before climbing up to their loft and going to bed.

He’s been observing Minho since their argument earlier. The older didn’t react to any of the scenes in the first movie they watched, so he knows that he’s deep in thought. He didn’t say a word as well, simply nodding or smiling to whatever Changbin or their other friends were saying instead of responding. To other people, Minho may just seem like he’s too engrossed in the movie. But Jisung has known him long enough to know that there’s something wrong. And the look Minho gave him earlier, with his serious expression and arched brow, tells him that he’s the reason.

Jisung chews at his lip, a guilty feeling eating at his conscience. He’s fought with Minho countless times in the past. Arguments are just sometimes a part of being long-time friends – it’s normal to not agree with each other all the time. But for some reason, this argument seems more serious and Jisung can’t shake off the feeling that this time is different.

Did he go too far with his teasing? Is Minho that mad at him? He just meant to argue playfully, he didn’t really mean to offend the older. Minho didn’t even bid him good night and he usually does before going to bed, does that mean he’s really angry? Will everything be okay tomorrow? Can he really sleep soundly without saying sorry?

He decides he can’t. Hell, he can’t even focus on a movie, what more sleep? So halfway through the film, he apologizes to their friends and tells them he’s feeling sleepy too. If they know that he’s just saying that as an excuse to go to Minho, they didn’t say anything. They just reassured him that it’s okay and bid him goodnight. After helping set up the folding mattress, giving them pillows and blankets, and telling them that they can come up anytime if they want to share the bed, Jisung finally went upstairs and climbed into Minho’s bed.

Minho was almost falling asleep when he felt his mattress dip. He heard Jisung excuse himself from the group minutes ago so he was expecting the younger to come up and go to bed. But he didn’t expect him to climb into his bed. He knows it’s small for the two of them so he scoots to the side to give Jisung more space. Jisung shuffles closer to him, looping his arms around his torso and pulling himself toward Minho so that they’re now lying flush against each other. Minho feels his heartbeat start to pick up speed and he tries his best to get it under control.

“Minho-hyung?” Jisung whispers against the back of his neck, his voice sending little vibrations down his skin, warm breath tickling him and causing him to shudder. He knows Jisung felt it because his hold tightened around his waist before he asked, “Are you sleeping?”

Minho gulped and cleared his throat before whispering back. “Yes. Now, stop breathing down my neck.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You just said that while breathing on me again.” Minho strains to say. Jisung seriously needs to stop whispering against his skin because his thoughts are going haywire. He could feel heat starting to pool somewhere it shouldn’t, and damn his body really shouldn’t be having these reactions right now for his best friend. He’s ashamed of himself. “Stop breathing down my neck… please.”

Jisung sighs (against his neck again and Minho feels like he’s about to die) before shifting a bit so that his forehead is now resting between Minho’s shoulders, his arm still looped around his waist.

“You know what I mean, hyung. I’m sorry that I offended you earlier. I didn’t mean to, I thought I was being funny.” Jisung says in a voice low enough that only Minho would hear. “I don’t think I can sleep without telling you that.”

Minho was quiet for awhile - he didn’t know what to say. Thinking back to the argument earlier, everything just seems stupid now. They really just fought over alcoholic drinks in front of their friends, didn’t they? He really let jealousy win over his sensible side, didn’t he?

“It’s okay. I didn’t have to be so dramatic about it. You were only being honest, after all.”

“No, hyung. Don’t gaslight yourself like that. You know I’m wrong. I know I’m wrong for being so immature when you’re only trying to be responsible for the both of us. I’m sorry… I’m really sorry.”

Minho turns around to face Jisung. They’re a lot closer than he thought and he could smell the younger’s minty breath every time he breathes, but Minho does his best to focus on Jisung’s sincere eyes that’s filled with regret right now. He’s suddenly hit with the desire to kiss away that regret until it’s filled with just happiness and other good feelings, but he pushes that thought aside because he can’t very well act on it. Instead, he rubs his hand reassuringly down Jisung’s back, knowing how much it calms the younger. “It’s okay, Sungie. I’m not mad at you.”

“Really?”

“Well, I was earlier, a little. But not anymore.” And it’s true. He is reminded once again of how a single smile from Jisung can bring him out of his shell, how a single fleeting touch from him can make Minho feel like everything is right in the world again. “You know I can’t be mad at you for too long.” He adds, absentmindedly tracing the curve of Jisung’s brows with his free hand.

Minho is reminded that this feeling – the feeling of security, contentment and happiness just being near Jisung – is what makes him want to be a constant in the younger’s life. And if it’s being just a friend, then he’ll take that. He’ll take whatever Jisung is willing to give and return it a hundredfold in his own way. It makes his heart clench with longing, but he ignores the feeling.

Jisung eyes are getting droopy, which always happens whenever Minho rubs his back. “Do you remember back in high school? There was a week when you’re always having trouble sleeping and you’d go to our house in the middle of the night and demand me to rub your back like this so you can sleep.”

Jisung chuckles sleepily at the memory, his eyes almost fluttering shut but he tries to keep them open as he stares at Minho. “I remember that, hyung. This just feels so comforting.”

“I wouldn’t know. You never do it to me.”

“You know my hands get clammy and they just tug at your shirt or your skin.” Jisung says defensively.

“I know, I know.” Minho chuckles at that before pulling Jisung even closer to him, tucking the younger’s head underneath his chin and tightening his hold around his waist as if there’s still space to close between their bodies. “Let’s get some sleep. We still have to wake up early tomorrow.” Minho whispers against Jisung’s brown locks. He waited for the latter’s breathing to even out, all the while rubbing his back for comfort, before kissing him on the top of his head and finally letting drifting off to sleep.

⁕

Jisung woke up to what was perhaps the noisiest morning their apartment has ever witnessed yet, the sound of his phone alarm blaring near his ears along with the screams and laughter from downstairs chasing the haze of sleep from his brain.

The next thing he registers is the familiar smell of Minho’s fabric conditioner-slash-cologne. For a second, he wonders why the scent is enveloping him from every side, but then he remembers climbing into Minho’s bed the night before and talking to him before falling asleep.

A lazy smile creeped onto his lips as he languidly stretched over the older’s bed. The feeling of Minho’s soft comforter together with the homey scent is pulling him back to slumber, but before he could close his eyes and get back to sleep, the sound of footsteps climbing up the loft alerts him that he has to get up.

“Sungie! Minho-hyung told me to wake you up.” Felix hovered over him by the side of the bed.

Jisung frowns and whines. “Can’t we be a little late today? We’re only going to submit require-“

“Jisungah! Get your ass down here! The food is ready!” Minho’s yell cut off the rest of what Jisung was about to say, so he just sighs and waves a giggling Felix to go downstairs first.

“I’m awake! I’m awake! I’ll get down in a minute!” Jisung yells back to Minho as he sluggishly gets up and climbs down.

He was greeted by the sight of everyone crowding around the two-seater dining table. Changbin and Felix dragged the extra two chairs from the study area to use as their seats, while Hyunjin just leaned on the armrest of Seungmin’s chair. Jisung squeezed past them to check on Minho, who’s still in front of the range, scooping ham and eggs into a plate.

“Hyung, I thought you said food is ready.” Jisung whines as he hooks his chin over Minho’s shoulder and crushes him in a back hug.

Minho wheezes as if his breath was literally squeezed out of him. “It is. You’re going to kill me. Stop.” He lets out a dramatic cough, pretending to double over when Jisung releases him. The latter sounds worried as he rubs Minho’s back to try to comfort him. Minho’s fake cough ends in a burst of laughter when he sees the horrified look on Jisung's face, which soon turns into a scowl after he realizes that Minho was just being overly dramatic.

“I hate you.”

“No. You don’t.” Minho says, squeezing the younger’s cheek. “And you’re right. Back rubs feel cozy. I’m going to have to ask you for back rubs tonight.” He says with a wink, which leaves Jisung stunned into silence.

_ Why did he have to wink at me while saying that? What do I do now? _ Jisung internally panics. Thank god he’s saved from actually responding when Minho took the plates full of ham and eggs to the dining table, leaving Jisung standing in the middle of the small kitchen.

The rest of the breakfast passed by uneventfully. Fortunately, Jisung thinks, because he doesn’t think he can handle any more winks from Minho. Since when did he learn how to wink anyway?

Jisung and the others took turns taking a bath, which they had to be quick about because there’s only one bathroom after all and they didn’t have much time to spare. Minho and Changbin, who both opted to go last since their classes are a little later than the first years’, are in the living room watching TV when Jisung went down after getting dressed up.

“Hyung, we’re going.” Jisung says, leaning down to give Minho a kiss on his nose. The latter looked surprised for a split second before tilting his face up and booping his nose on the younger’s lips. It’s what they always do before any of them goes out of the house, so Minho’s surprised look puzzled Jisung.

That was until he realized that they have an audience.

Minho probably didn’t expect him to do it in front of their friends.

Jisung glances around them awkwardly, somehow meeting every one of their friend’s curious eyes. To make the situation a hundred times more awkward than it already is, his cheeks and the tips of his ears are now heating up.

Minho clears his throat awkwardly from his seat. “You guys should probably get going. You’re running late.”

That pulls Jisung from the flustered mess that he’s become. “Right. Right! C’mon!” He says, his pitch several octaves higher than it usually is. He waved at Changbin, not really meeting his eyes, before zooming to the door, putting on his shoes and leading the way out.

He would’ve preferred to stay quiet on the walk to the campus. But apparently, that’s not an option when your friends want gossip.

“So, Jisung.” Felix starts and Jisung automatically groans in resignation. “How long have you and Minho-hyung been together?”

Well, that startles him. He expected his friends to ask him if he had feelings for Minho, not assume that they’re together. He looks at the freckled boy with a shocked expression, his eyes wide. “What? What do you mean?”

Felix rolls his eyes at him. “You and Minho. How long have you been boyfriends?”

“Boyf-- We- What? We’re not.”

“Huh?”

“We- we’re not together. I’m not his boyfriend.” He manages to finally stammer out, the last bit sounding a little sadder than he intended.

“Oh. Really? You two are not together?”

Jisung shakes his head. This seems to puzzle Felix even more.

“You two act like you’ve been married for years though.” Seungmin suddenly pipes up.

“I guess that’s because we’ve been around each other for so long. We’re already comfortable with each other.”

“That’s the same as being married. You two live together, you’re comfortable with each other, you do domestic stuff like back hugging while the other’s cooking.” Hyunjin explains. “You’re basically a single unit – a team. The only difference is you don’t have sex. Unless…” Hyunjin trails off, looking at Jisung like he just had an epiphany that involves his and Minho’s private life.

“Hyunjin! What the fuck are you thinking about!” Jisung screeches, covering Hyunjin’s eyes as if that will censor his thoughts.

Great. Now that image is in his thoughts as well. He squeezes his eyes close and tries to think of other wholesome stuff (like Minho eating ants when they were kids or the time he accidentally stabbed him with a pencil) before his body reacts to his randy thoughts. His friends just cackle, clearly enjoying his discomfort.

“If you two are not together, then would you go on a date with me?” Hyunjin says casually.

That effectively distracts Jisung and shocks him too. Apparently, Felix and Seungmin are surprised as well, because they’re also looking at Hyunjin like he just grew a third head.

“I’m being serious.” Hyunjin adds.

“But why?” Seungmin is the one to ask. “I mean, no offense Jisung. It’s just so sudden.”

Jisung thinks he might be imagining the fleeting hurt he sensed from Seungmin’s question so chose to ignore it, waving his hands at the latter to motion that he didn’t take any offense and is just as curious to know why Hyunjin is suddenly interested in him.

“Well, why not?” Hyunjin asks Jisung directly. “Unless I’m not your type?”

Jisung doesn’t have a type. He never actually imagined that he‘d be romantically involved with anyone. Other than Minho, that is, and even that is just a recent realization.

It’s not that he thinks he and Minho will ultimately end up together just like in the fairytales. In fact, he’s never even thought about that at all in the past, until he recently started feeling weird things for his best friend. It’s just that he was so happy, secured and used to them being together, even as best friends, that he never really had any reason to entertain the idea that he might date someday. Or that Minho might date someday.

“I’m- I don’t really-“

“We’ll hang out tomorrow whether you like it or not.” Hyunjin tells him, pouting like a kid, and Jisung didn’t really have the heart to say no.

⁕⁕⁕

Tomorrow came a lot quicker than Jisung expected.

Telling Minho about his plans for the day is even harder than he thought. He didn’t even know why he’s making such a big deal out of it when Hyunjin said they’ll just hang out. He felt shy and he can’t shake off the feeling of guilt, as if he’s cheating on Minho by doing this, which is ridiculous.

_ Pull yourself together. Don’t act like he’s your boyfriend. He’s your best friend for fuck’s sake. _ Jisung keeps telling himself as he delays telling Minho about Hyunjin’s suggestion. He delays it until the last minute, until he’s standing in the living room and ready to go out, still not knowing what to say.

“Where are you going?” Minho asks hesitantly, looking at him from head to toe as he stands up from the couch.

“Hyunjin asked me to hang out with him today, hyung.”

_ Oh _ . Minho thought sadly.  _ Oh, so that’s why he’s been busy all morning trying to look nice. _

“Uhm, with the other guys?”

“No. Just the two of us. Uhm…” Jisung paused, as if thinking for the right words to say “He actually asked me if I want to date him, hyung. I’m not really sure, so maybe we’ll just hang out to see.”

The wave of jealousy that hit Minho was overwhelming and so unexpected, making his heart clench, making it harder for him to breathe and tying his gut into a knot. He pushed past the bitterness rising in his throat and pursed his lips.

“But I wanted to watch a movie.” He says, his voice pathetically sad.

“Oh, okay. We’ll just be having lunch. I’ll come home as soon as we finish, hyung, so we can watch a movie.”

“But who will cook the rice for lunch?” Minho knows his attempt to get Jisung to stay is really pitiful. He should really just shut up.

_ I am so fucking pathetic, _ he thinks. Why can’t he just go and tell Jisung not to go on that date. That he wants him to stay. That he wants them to spend this day and every day with each other, together.

He can’t because he doesn’t have the right to say that and he knows it. So when Jisung asked him if he should just cancel on Hyunjin, Minho tells him no, walks him to the front door, tells him to have fun and waves him goodbye with a heavy heart.

Minho gently closes the door behind him and leans on it as he takes a deep breath to calm his emotions. His knees buckle as he realizes that Jisung didn’t give him a goodbye kiss on the nose. He smiles bitterly to himself at how selfish and immature his thoughts are. He never knew that the absence of such a gesture that they’ve already considered mundane, would be enough to break him.

Feeling as if his limbs are a thousand tons heavier, Minho drags himself up the loft and climbs into Jisung’s bed. He was curled up on himself when his first tear fell, and then the dam was breaking.

He knows he’s probably being too dramatic. He doesn’t even understand the full reason why he’s crying. Yes, he has feelings for his best friend, but why the tears? He decides the answer doesn’t matter anyway, so he no longer makes an effort to stop the silent sobs that shudders his every breath.

Minho never really cried. Even when he got bloody bruises as a child or when people told him bad things while growing up, he always resorted to laughing the pain away instead of crying. Yet now here he is, weeping his heart out on a Saturday noon, curled up into himself on his best friend’s bed. He really wanted to roll his eyes at himself.

When his sobs have ebbed and he’s finally able to think a little more clearly, he wonders again why he felt so hurt to the point that he cried.

Perhaps it was the thought of Jisung falling for someone someday, and it’s not him, and he can’t do anything about it because he’s just Jisung’s best friend.

Perhaps it was the realization that Minho only dared to dream of being with Jisung but he never really had the courage to take that step. He had the chance, but now it feels like it’s slipping through his fingers.

Perhaps it was the fact he fell in love with his best friend, and is still falling deeper. He didn’t know when it started, but the thought of falling further scares him because there are so many things at risk. The thought of losing Jisung scares him.

Perhaps it was simply because he misses Jisung, right from the moment he stepped out of their home.

He misses Jisung so much that it hurts so bad and he can’t do anything but just wait for him to come back.

Or perhaps it was all those reasons combined.

⁕⁕⁕

Jisung glances at his watch for the fifth time on his walk home. It’s already 6:30 PM. He hopes Minho is still in the mood to watch a movie with him. His “date” with Hyunjin lasted longer than he expected, as the latter insisted they go to an arcade and then after that to a noraebang. While he had a great time, he couldn’t get Minho away from the back of his mind.

He kept thinking about how he should invite Minho to the café they went to because it had good Iced Americano. The strawberry cheesecake also fits Minho’s taste. And oh, Minho’s favorite song is number 1025 in this noraebang, that’s his birthday and he’ll find that amusing. Jisung catches himself thinking of these midway and would sigh exasperatedly to himself.

Hyunjin must have sensed that he’s distracted because he suddenly stopped the song they were in the middle of belting out before looking at him with an understanding expression and telling him that they should go home.

“You know, this should be enough to make you two realize that you should be together.” He told him with an amused smile before waving goodbye and walking off. Jisung only managed to process what he said on the walk back home.

Is Hyunjin right? He probably is. What’s the use of going out with other people if he’d only think of Minho? Maybe Jisung should stop trying to fight his feelings and face it once and for all. But what if he’s been reading Minho wrong? He thinks there’s something different now in their relationship, but what if it’s just a product of his imaginations? Should he still push through with confessing even if that can make things awkward between them?

Jisung told himself “fuck it” as he pushed open the door to their apartment and stepped inside. They usually had the lights open by this time of the night, but the room is dark right now and there’s no sight of Minho. Jisung closed the door behind him and flipped the light switch on.

Minho’s shoes are still in the rack, so unless he had another pair of shoes that Jisung didn’t know about, then he’s probably still at home and is either sleeping or hiding somewhere to give him a jump scare. He hopes it’s not the latter since the last thing he needs is to scare away his resolve to confess.

“Minho-hyung?” He softly called out as he glanced around their living room and found no one. With his heart pounding (whether from the anticipation of a jump scare or from fear of what he’s about to tell Minho, he didn’t know), he climbed up the stairs and turned on the night light.

And there was Minho. Sleeping peacefully on Jisung’s bed, his lips slightly parted, the round glasses askew on his face and his knees folded to his chest. Jisung feels his heart swell. It’s suddenly clear to him. This is the person he wants to be with, no one else.

He walks toward the bed and gently sits by the edge. He cards his hand through Minho’s hair, the soft strands fluttering back down to the older’s forehead after filtering through Jisung’s fingers.

Jisung sighs a sigh of defeat, yet it makes him feel relieved. He’s finally had enough walking around his feelings. If he finds out Minho doesn’t like him back, then that’s okay. He’d still continue being Minho’s best friend even if things might seem awkward for a while, and he knows Minho long enough to be sure that he won’t walk out of Jisung’s life because of that. He probably should’ve realized that a bit sooner, but what can he do? Sometimes matters of the heart just makes you think of stupid stuff.

Jisung gently lies down on the bed next to Minho. It’s small and there’s little to no space for him by the edge. Minho subconsciously scoots toward the wall to give him more space, looping an arm around his waist to keep him from falling over the edge of the bed. It amuses Jisung how much they’ve done this without really thinking about it, often enough that they’ve become attuned to the feeling of the other lying next to them and how their body reacts in return is by muscle memory alone.

This is definitely what domesticity feels like, and Jisung wants more of it.

Minho stirs awake because of all the movement, slowly opening his eyes and staring at Jisung as if he can’t believe that he’s there right in front of him. “Oh, you’re home.” He says with a voice hoarse from sleep.

Jisung didn’t respond because the first thing he notices is Minho’s red, swollen eyes. He carefully traces the soft skin under them with his thumb and lets his hand gently rest by the side of Minho’s face, cupping cheeks.

“Why are your eyes so red?” He whispers. There’s something about the quietness of the room, the only sound being their quiet breathing and the rustle of sheets with every small movement, that makes him want to preserve the moment.

Minho just averts his eyes and closes them before nuzzling into Jisung’s hair.

“No, look at me please.” Jisung shifted away a little, so he could keep eye contact with Minho. “Have you been crying?”

Minho sighs, his soft breath ruffling the strands of Jisung’s hair. He moves backward and meets Jisung’s eyes. The latter could practically see the gears turning in Minho’s head, as if he recognizes this moment as a turning point and just a few choice words could unfold a vastly different scenario that would inevitably change everything between them.

Minho’s eyes took on a determined gleam before he gave a small nod.

“Why?”

“…Because I miss you.”

Jisung stares up into Minho’s eyes, searching them for the same emotions that are blooming and thriving inside his own chest. He didn’t have to search hard, because they were there, clear as day, and he can’t believe he’s been blind to it all this time.

“How long have we known each other, Jisung?”

“More than a decade. 12 years?”

“Yeah, that’s a pretty long time.”

Their voices are so soft that Jisung’s afraid the sound of his pounding heart can be heard in the small space between them.

“You’ve always been a constant in my life since we met. Like how there’s a sun during the day and the moon at night – I just know that you’re always there. But lately…” Minho says hesitantly. “Lately, the lines have become so blurry. Whenever I think of the future, of forever, you’re there. Not just as my best friend.”

Minho looks at him with a question in his eyes, silently asking if he understands. And he does, so he nods as he absentmindedly plays with the soft fuzz on Minho’s cheek.

“I think of the future as me and you. Me with you.” Jisung admits, a small wistful smile forming on his lips.

Minho swallows the lump in his throat and tries to calm his heart. “Jisung, I think… I think I’m in love with you.”

The words hang in the air as Jisung stares into his eyes. His gaze drifts to Minho’s nose, his cheeks and then his lips, as if the younger is mapping out his features. When Jisung tilted his head up to him, Minho didn’t bother fighting the feeling of longing anymore.

He leans down to close the small space between them and brings their lips together.

Minho doesn’t really know what he’s doing, and he’s sure neither does Jisung, but that’s okay.

Minho moves his lips over the Jisung’s in a slow, steady rhythm, catching the younger’s lower lip in between his before releasing it and doing the same to his upper lip. The kiss is simple and awkward, to say the least, but it’s so very them that it makes Minho’s heart pound even harder.

Jisung tilts his head to one side to give Minho better access then brings his hand up to lightly grip the older’s hair, bringing their bodies closer. This seems to unlock something primal in Minho’s as he moans into the kiss and flicks his tongue on Jisung’s lower lip. Jisung’s lips part in a surprised gasp, which was soon followed by a sound halfway between a moan and whine that he never even knew he could make, as Minho’s tongue swirls around his.

Their kiss went on, both of them reveling in the new feelings and sensations that they’re now just discovering together. It was only after a few minutes that they ended their kiss. Minho broke away with a gasp first as his lungs fought for air.

They laid there for a while, in each other’s arms, looking into each other’s eyes, not making any sound. Minho traces circles on Jisung’s back.

After a while, Jisung smiles at him, his lips forming a heart, pushing up his cheeks and transforming his eyes into crescents behind the round glasses that Minho has grown to love, just like other aspects of Jisung that have found a place in Minho’s heart.

“Just to be clear, I’m in love with you too, hyung.” Jisung tells him sheepishly, voice filled with fondness and longing. And wow he never knew just how much he wanted to hear those words until now. He feels like a parched man robbed of water, and Jisung just gave him his first sip of drink after waiting for so many years.

Minho couldn’t believe this was really happening. Maybe he’s just dreaming? What a cruel dream this would be when he wakes up. His disbelief must have been apparent on his face because the younger chuckles at him before kissing him lightly on the tip of his nose. “I didn’t do that earlier.”

“Yeah, you didn’t.”

“I promise to do it every single day from now on. Even if you don’t want me to. Even when you’re already tired of it.”

Minho thinks he’ll never really get tired of it. He’ll never grow tired of Jisung and everything he’s willing to give.

The love that grew between them isn’t the kind of love that burns hot like fire and sweeps you off your feet with passion.

It’s the kind that of love that silently creeps up on you and makes itself known when you least expect it. It’s steady and extraordinarily unremarkable, filled with trivial conversations and the humdrum of everyday life, dappled with nostalgic memories of growing up together and painted with the anticipation of forever with each other.

It’s the kind of love that’s just constantly there, like the air they breathe. It buoys them up even without the need for rekindling and reassurances. It’s just there, as much a constant to their lives as their presence is to the other.

“I love you.” Minho breathes out as he pulls Jisung’s body into an even tighter embrace.

“I love you too, hyung.”

“…I’m hungry.”

“Good. I'll cook for you this time.” Jisung tells him with a goofy smile.

~fin. ♡

**Author's Note:**

> ♡ What did you think Jisung cooked for Minho? lol   
>  ♡ I hope you enjoyed reading! Let me know what you think of this story in the comments!   
>  ♡ Or shout at me on my ao3 [twt](https://twitter.com/konstay0629)


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